Wild Fox
by wingwolfly
Summary: Tails is kidnapped and taken to a far city and the Freedom Fighters set out to get him back. [Satam Universe]
1. First in Knothole

Knothole lay nestled in the great forest. Its wooded buildings blended in with the trees around them and even in the coming winter months was almost impossible for someone to find until they were practically on top of it. The forest had already started its transition into fall scenery, orange and yellow overpowering the green leaves, spreading over like thin layers of paint. They brought a beauty to the woods, helping everyone forget that soon it would be miserably cold.

Today was a warm day though and any thoughts of snow were few. The villagers enjoyed having such nice weather, hoping it wasn't the last of the season.

In the mist of Knothole, the freedom fighters were gathered. Not for any urgent event but to enjoy lunch.

"Hey, watch this T2!" Sonic shouted. He dashed up from the table, not being able to sit still long anyway. Faster than the fox could see, he managed to sack all four of his chilly dogs vertically on his plate, then, with a flick of his wrist, he shot the food up into the air, dashed forward, and ate them all before they touched the ground.

"That was so cool!" the young fox exclaimed as a mildly annoyed Sally could be seen from across the table. "Do you think I could do that?" he asked

Sonic grinned back at his brother "Maybe, but you gotta get faster at eating chili dogs first" the hedgehog winked. No further prompting needed, Tails spun back to his own meal and virtually devoured his plate, only slowing down when his mouth was too full to take another bite. As he finished there was a slight pain in his stomach and more than a little mess on the table, but Tails didn't notice either of these.

"Looking good T2" Sonic praised "One day you might even catch up to the ol' hedgehog"

"Really?" his eyes brighted

"Yeah bro" Sonic looked over his shoulder "you wanna head over to the river, this weather aint gonna stay around forever." The foxed grinned and they dashed off, much to the dismay of anyone trying to get them to wash their plates.

* * *

Sally left the mess hall not too long after Sonic and Tails, though later enough that she actually had time to finish her food. Not that Sonic's rude manners bothered her as much as it looked. Most of what she showed was fabricated annoyance, in reality, despite the hedgehog's obnoxious behavior she couldn't help but think he was charming.

There were things he did that bugged her though, usually when they were on missions and he was trying to show off. Most of it was worry, but it was annoying. They had gotten into some pretty sticky situations because of his ego.

Even worse there were a couple times when he had brought Tails to the outskirts of the city. Sally knew that Sonic was capable of protecting them, but couldn't he see how dangerous that was in the first place?

She sighed, opening the door of her hut. Tails was almost like a son her. She couldn't imagine the village without him. Almost ten years ago, someone had found the fox, abandoned in the forest. A little baby, cold and alone, somehow missed by the swarms of robots.

At first, she and her friends hadn't spent much time with him. They were only five or six at the time, and a month-old baby was no fun to play with. Eventually though, Sally found that she liked taking care of the little fox and dragged the others into helping Rosie whenever they could.

Tails had grown up so fast, now almost being ready to go on most missions to Robotropolis, an idea which Sally did not fully feel comfortable with, even if he was capable.

Each freedom fighter had helped Tails learn different skills he would need on these missions. Sonic and Bunnie with physical things like fighting the hay dummy of Robotnik or racing through tightly knit trees. Sally, being able in those areas, but not gifted, taught him the more mentally based activities.

She had shown him how to rewire different mechs that Robotnik used, sure to make it abundantly clear to never touch uncovered wires. He struggled with the task at first, confusing the different colors and widths.

With Sally's help he eventually got it, his eyes brightening and a joyous smile lighting his face. It was a contagious attitude which had put Sally in high spirits for the rest of the day.

Back in the present, Sally pulled out her plans for the night's raid. She had already finished them but wanted to be sure that everything was in order. It was fairly routine; get inside, blow up a factory and maybe get some data to Nicole if everything else went well enough.

She studied it though. A trip to the black city, even if it was a routine one, could be dangerous. If there were any loopholes, overlooked pieces, or other ways Robotnik could get the better of them, Sally wanted to know.

An hour passed, little had changed, and the plan was deemed solid. Sally decided to take a break.

* * *

"Sonic…" The hedgehog was standing in front of her, Tails by his side. Both having asked the same question she was starting to get before most missions. "We already talked about this. You guys agreed that if he went on the last one, he wouldn't go today." She looked pointedly at Sonic, though the hedgehog didn't seem to notice the added glare. Nor did Tails.

"Aw, come on Aunt Sally, I can do it." He pleaded

"Yeah, you should have seen how he was a couple days ago! He took down a swatbot all by himself!"

"A couple days ago when!?" she nearly shouted. How often had they been going near Robotropolis and why were they even attempting something like that!?

"Um, err" Sonic stumbled for a minute "Tuesday maybe? Don't worry about it, this hedgehog was there, and anyways" he said roughing up the fur on his little bro's head "the big guy's got it"

Sally rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration. There was no convincing him, but still, no was no. She directed the conversation back to its origin.

"I'm sorry, not tonight." Sally looked at Tails when speaking, hoping that something in her gaze could soften the disappointment the fox probably felt. She couldn't tell if it did.

"Sal come on…" Sonic started

"No"

* * *

It was later that night and the older freedom fighters had already left for the raid. Tails stood in one of the lookout towers around Knothole. He wasn't on duty, but the wooden platform was one of the best places to see Robotropololis from.

The others were probably there by now, keeping out of sight from the robot swarms. He could do that too! Why didn't Aunt Sally trust him? He had even taken out a swatbot all by himself, a whole swatbot! In his ten-year-old mind Tails had been so sure that after doing something like that he could go on whatever mission he wanted to.

She had seen him in Robotropolis before as well. _Have I been doing something wrong?_ He thought. _I don't think I've slowed them down or anything, but why else would Aunt Sally not let me go tonight?_ No. Sally had said that he couldn't come today before they even went on the last mission. _But maybe… _He paced around the platform. The silence gnawing at his fears, eventually it was too much.

Tails flew down, hoping to distract himself in the Great Forest. It was past his bedtime, but he wouldn't go too far, and anyways, no one would know with the other freedom fighters being out on a raid.

He began an aimless wander, going through the trees while practicing various tricks. Things he did anyways during the day, but somehow seemed cooler at night. A sentient presence followed him, careful to avoid detection.

* * *

Hours had passed, the moon being the only thing lighting up the forest. In some far bushes a masked figured glared at the kit annoyedly. He had hoped that the fox would have wandered further by now. Knothole was still too close for comfort. He glared in the direction of the village. It was out of sight, maybe this could actually work.

He looked back at his target. Still in the same clearing. He growled to himself. Why couldn't the kid have taken a normal walk through the forest instead of stopping every three seconds!?

The knowledge that the fox would probably soon turn back stood in his mind. This night had been his best chance at anything since he had found the village. No way he was letting it slide. There was a bit of a drought at the moment and no convenient thunderstorms for him to sneak in under.

Too close or not, something would have to happen soon.

* * *

Tails looked around at a fallen tree, it had collapsed long ago but instead of becoming moldy the wood had hardened. Knothole called them stonewood.

Not fully fallen, this one formed a ramp to the surrounding treetops; a perfect place to practice some tricks. Which is what he had been doing: running up the bark before shooting straight into the sky, flying through the branches up top, or sliding down its worn bark on a makeshift board.

It was way past his bedtime at this point though, and he was starting to feel it. Maybe he was ready to head home, Tails looked at the tree, but he could try out something on the way back. The fox got ready and made a dash for the ramp. He hopped over the tree's roots, streaked up the side and into the treetops around. He would make it back to Knothole by flying through the trees. Their branches were thin enough that he could usually dodge them, but how fast?

He blurred through the branches, only managing to get a short distance away before a sharp force pierced his leg. With a yelp Tails lost his focus and slammed into a mess of sticks in front of him. Spiraling through the mess and barley missing a nasty collision with the ground. Feeling dizzy from the fall, he stumbled to the floor, his leg feeling sore. He turned to look at the source of his pain. _A dart?_ _But who? _

A force plowed into him. They rolled in a frenzy Tails desperately trying to break free from the figure that now practically had him pinned.

"Hel" His shout was cut off by a firm hand grabbing his muzzle. He tried to shake it off. Panic flooded his senses. Sonic was far away in Robotropolis, could anyone hear him? Most of the village went to bed before this time, but maybe someone had been awake.

_Come on! _he pleaded attempting to roll or otherwise squirm out of his captor's grasp. Tails' heart was pounding, but despite the adrenaline, every struggle was getting weaker.

In some stroke of luck, the fox remembered a story Aunt Sally had told him where the hero was able to rescue a kidnapped nobleman after only finding a glove the latter had left behind. _I need to do that. _The thought swirled in his increasingly incoherent brain, but he clung to it.

Struggling to free one of his hands only tightened the grip of his captor. They were stuck, but his feet… he pushed one foot across the other, flinging a shoe into nearby bracken. Task completed, he got back to the matter of escape.

If he could just get on his side, then his legs would be easier to use against whoever this was. With most of his upper body immobilized, this might have been his only chance. Light was starting to fade from Tails' vision, he needed to be fast.

The fox shifted his weight into a swift turn. Bunching his legs together and using force from his tails, he both pushed his attacker off and flung himself a couple feet away.

Then the fox ran, or rather stumbled.

While the maneuver worked it used a lot of energy and the dart, which he tore off, was taking more effect. His voice weak, he couldn't even think about shouting. The forest was growing dimmer at alarming rates, night's obscurity making it even worse. A root caught his foot, sending him to a floor of leaves and darkness.


	2. Beyond the Forest

**Author notes:**

Leodragon678 thanks so much for the review! It really made my whole day once I saw it. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I had read some of your stuff before and enjoyed them as well(though during the two chapters of Test of Time where Tails got really sick I got targeted ads for medicine on my computer, it gave me a good laugh).

* * *

It was Bunnie who noticed the fox's absence first. She had gotten up before the others and went out to have a cup of tea before breakfast.

Usually Tails would be up by now too, asking all sorts of questions about the events of the former night, adding more if it went well. His eyes brightening whenever any cool deed was described. Beating Swatbots, avoiding Steathbots, or blowing up one of the evil dictator's many factories. Sonic usually made the raids seem like some larger-than-life feat, but even without those exaggerations the kit was eager to listen to anyone on the topic.

He was precious. Bunnie found herself wishing sometimes that she still had that innocence, but after the robotosizer, it was just gone. _Never mind. _She shook the thought away._ I'll go see if I can find him._

Taking her tea with her, Bunnie walked through the mess hall and asked some of the other early risers if they had seen the kit. No one had. _Odd… _Some of them had been sitting here for a while. A small knot of worry began to form in the rabbit's chest before being pushed away. Tails could have gone to Rosie's hut or just slept in, he was getting older and starting to want more sleep in the morning. This could be one of those days.

Walking to his hut she knocked lightly and cracked the door, nothing. Rosie hadn't seen the boy either, suggesting Bunnie look in his favorite spots to play. With a small sense of worry, and nothing else to do she debated heading over that way.

Roise was right, Tails was probably over there, having gotten of tired waiting for someone to get up. There was no need to stress, but maybe she should still go say hi.

"Morning Bunnie" a not fully awake voice jolted the rabbit from her thoughts. Sally had just stepped out of her door. Ever quick with subtle matters, she noticed her friend's expression "Is something the matter?"

"Ah, no" the rabbit called back, walking over "Ah just cannot seem to find where lil Tails is this morning and was going to head to that clearing he likes to play in."

"Hmmm" Sally looked towards the fox's hut "well I can help if you want, it's not that far"

* * *

It was far. Well, at least he thought so.

The sound of shouting had awakened Tails. When he opened his eyes however, the two mobians yelling at each other was not the first thing he noticed, nor was the tight muzzle wrapped around his head, it was the bars in front, behind, and to the sides of him. He was in a cage.

His whole being shivered in terror on realization and two instincts spiked. One urging him to run as far away as possible, slamming against the bars as long as it took, it didn't matter, just to get out, and another spoke the opposite, to slink down, to deepest corner, find any crevice, any bit of darkness, and hide.

A slam hit a table across the room. He chose the latter, curling up in a corner, hugging his tails as a single strand of comfort.

* * *

Hours had passed since Bunnie started looking and there was still no sign of Tails. After she and Sally had looked around the outskirts of the village, they had checked around the forest a little, when that didn't yield any results their worry tightened and the two eventually woke up Sonic.

The hedgehog had been slightly annoyed at first, but began to feel the same sense of dread when not even he could find his little bro. In desperation, he had checked Uncle Chuck's hideout asking if any prisoners had been taken, a relieved breath coming out when it was shown none had. _But if Buttnik doesn't have him where could he be?_

Sonic raced back to Knothole, delivering the news the other freedom fighters, all of whom, were ready to head into to the city if their friend had been captured. Now they searched he forest again, unsure of where else to look.

Sally went through the trees behind Knothole's cliff, looking under collapsed logs and large rocks. _What if something had fallen on him?_ "Tails!" she called out, listening for a response, nothing. The ground squirrel moved on, hurrying through the woods.

It took until almost sunset before anyone found something, but as soon as it did word spread like wildfire. Sally wasn't too far from the source and upon hearing it ran the whole way there.

Someone had found one of Tails' shoes lodged in the top of a bush. Everyone was searching the area for any other signs of the boy, but without much luck. Sally looked around the area, a mess of sticks and leaves covered the ground, almost like someone had fallen out of a tree. _But Tails can fly._

A trail seemed to cut through the nearby bracken, broken twigs revealing the traces of a hasty run. She walked towards it before a metallic reflection blinded her right eye. She stopped, trying to see where the light came from. There, in a tall patch of grass, was a small dart. Sally's heart caught in her throat. _What happened?_

She reached for Nicole, frantically opening the device. "Nicole, can you figure out who used this?"

'Processing Sally' there was painstaking silence as her scanner went over the metal 'Analysis complete, fur belonging to Flynn J. Whicker found.'

"Who is this mobian?" she asked the device.

'Accessing, he appears to be a mountain lion from the town of Watereef'

"Anything else" Sally asked, her jaw tight

'No other data found'

"Okay"

She spread the news, telling everyone to make sure the other freedom fighters knew to get back to the village as soon as possible. They were going to need the plane, and they needed to leave as soon as possible.

Tails had been huddling in that corner for a while now. Even after the shouting had stopped, after one of the mobians had stormed off, claiming something about unfairness, he just sat there, motionless.

When the yelling was done the remaining mobian had gone to a desk in the corner and started working. She was a brown otter, taller than most but lacking the strength of some mammals. For hours she sat their silently.

The quiet had helped Tails calm a little, his shivers becoming fewer and less shaking, but there was still some fear. He received glances from the other mobian every so often, letting him know that no matter what he did, she would be watching.

"You're going to give yourself a heart attack, sitting there like that." She finally said, making the fox jump "calm down, I'm not going to hurt you." she paused briefly "violence isn't really my thing, too much work you know". In response Tails let out a soft growl, one of the only things the cramped muzzle would still let him do.

The mobian held his gaze for a second before putting down her work. He stiffened. Instead of heading his way however, she went to the other side of the room and began making food. She would feel better once the kid was out of her house. A ship had been called as soon as Flynn had arrived with the unconscious fox. It should come anytime in the next half-hour. She glanced in his direction, noticing how the fur on his back raised. Maybe they would both relax a little when it came, though, probably not. Oh well, she shrugged.

* * *

Back in Knothole the freedom fighters had not wasted a single moment in heading out. Sonic had dashed off at Sally's request, telling Rotor to pull out the plane and then grabbing supplies for the trip. By the time that the other two had ran back everything was ready to go, with a more than impatient hedgehog not being the least of them.

They jumped in the plane, Sally choosing to drive claiming that it was because she had the map when really, she remembered Sonics' last time flying and decided that this would be better for all of them.

Nicole displayed the route to Watereef, her screen glowing brightly in fainting hours of the day. It would take them most of the night to get there, in part due to them having to land in the middle to refuel the small aircraft.

"You remembered to get extra fuel" she asked Sonic while starting the plane.

"Yep, let's just go" he tapped his foot, the sooner they left the sooner they would find Tails.

The plane surged forward and into the air, making Knothole a speck in the great forest.

"Do either of y'all have a plan?" Bunnie asked from the seat in the rear.

"No" Sally responded, "but we have a long flight to make one."

* * *

It was almost an hour after his captor had thought the airship would arrive when Tails heard a loud engine outside. Between fear and curiosity, he noted that it sounded slightly like the airplane Roter and Sally had built for the freedom fighters to use on missions, except that this one was much louder.

He raised his head a little, trying to see what was out of a window further down on the wall. It had blinds. They were good blinds.

Meeting the eyes of his captor, he ducked back down, opting to study the crack between the front door and ground instead. Or at least he thought it was the front door. A loud knock sounded from beyond making the other mobian get up and leave. Revealing, for a split second, what looked like another room behind it.

Moments after she had exited, he crept towards the front of his cage, pricking is ears to listen to the sound of her footsteps fading away. He needed to find a way out.

There was a gate on the side of his jail, a lock hanging down from it. Aunt Sally had taught him how to lockpick before, it was part of freedom fighter training. Usually in those lessons he would use a thin piece of metal, something easy to find in Robotropolis, unfortunately not so easy in this room, especially with his limited range.

Fidgeting with the lock he tried to use one of his claws to turn it open, but even if he took off his glove his nail only scratched the surface of the metal, too big to fit in the keyhole. Tails grew more anxious as hope from this line of escape started to fade.

Soon footsteps thudded against the floor. He stepped back from the door as two new figures entered the room, along with his captor.

"He's over there" The otter pointed at him. Tails saw the other two look directly at him and felt himself tense up. They headed over to his cage, interested in the fox, but not seeming to care about his frightened gaze staring back at them.

"and you said it could fly?" one of them asked, not taking his eyes off Tails.

"Yeah"

"Good" the mobian looked towards the door "mind if we load the plane before talking?"

"No problem, there are wheels on the bottom of the cage, just lift the tabs to unlock them." The otter replied.

Tails hadn't known about the wheels and glanced down the edge of the frame before two mobians kneeled there to toggle the usefulness of the plastic cylinders. Giving a muffled yelp, he skirted away.

With the task done, one of the two pushed the cage across the room and out the door. The fox had been right, there was a room beyond, with three doors leading away to their own places. They went through the nearest one, leading them up a small step and outside. It was night. Darkness spreading over the few plants that grew here. Tails wondered if it was still the same day he got captured. Between sleep and terror, the hours had blurred together.

They made their way around a small wall to where a plane was parked. He froze, hoping that they weren't going inside it. The aircraft reminded the kit of one of Robotnik's own, being made entirely of metal instead of the wooden model his friends used. It was slightly different in shape, less wide and a bit longer, but still, the resemblance was there.

The bumpiness of dirt ground changed to a smooth roll and Tails fell backwards a little as the cage went up a ramp.

"Watch your step" the mobian pushing him said flatly. A terrible joke.

They entered the plane, its interior lighting initially blinding him after the darkness outside. He was rolled for a couple meters before being stopped. Across from him there was a low shelf with a larger white crate sitting on it. Something clicked above him.

Using force from his spinning namesakes, Tails burst out of the topside door. While momentarily shocked at his prisoner's short flight, the mobian previously opening his cage quickly got his wits together and managed to grab him by the leg before further escape could be made. Tails kicked, panicking as he struggled to stay in the air.

"Hey! Help me you two!" His captor barked.

The others had been talking outside but ran up at the sound of commotion. Seeing the scene, they sprinted over to the sides of the fox, cramped as it was inside the small plane. He struggled as they grabbed his arms, forcing him lower.

With better leverage they managed to drag him into the large crate near his cage, his limbs thrashing against their stone grasp. A final shove managed at push him in, stumbling against its soft floor as the exit slammed shut. Tails lunged against the wall pulling against its sliding door with little success before hearing the snap of its lock. He continued to claw but what progress he had before was now entirely gone.

Catching his breath for a second, Tails heard muffled voices. He listened, trying to pick up on their words. They were too quiet to make out.

He looked around his new cell. A dim light spanned somewhere along the center of the roof. The floor was carpeted, a detail which, even in the turmoil, stood out to the fox. Carpets were a luxury in Knothole, either coming salvaged from Robotropolis or painstakingly knitted by one of the villagers. Putting one in a cell seemed a waste.

Looking around further he inspected the edges of the walls. They were harder than the door, without a hole in sight, not the entrance had any either.

Tails decided to go back to that door, reasoning that it would have to open again sometime, and that would be his best chance at escape. He sat down, concentration warding away thoughts of despair.

_I'm going to get out._


	3. A House in Watereef

**Author's note: **Well, here's another chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

The freedom fighters' trip had been longer than any of them were comfortable with. Despite their quick refueling break in which he relentlessly ran around the area, Sonic was unable to sit still when they arrived at Watereef. They had come up with a plan to have him go around the town with Nicole and try to pick up any trace of Tails or his kidnapper.

Nicole's processor was good, but nowhere near fast enough to keep up with the hedgehog. He would have to stop often to let her analyze the data. If something significant came up, he'd go back to the others and they would make a plan from there.

While he was busy, Bunnie and Sally would walk around the city searching for Flynn. They didn't know what he looked like but hopefully someone could point them in the right direction.

"Later!" Sonic zoomed off before the landed plane had stopped moving. His agitated nerves enjoying the ability to run.

Watereef looked like a larger town than it was. In the months after Mobotopolis had fallen, many mobians moved away from the area. Some feared that they were too close to the tyrannical dictator, others looking for better places to work as the town lost its trade routes. What remained were eerie ghosts of buildings, overgrown and ready to fall.

Sonic ran past these, not really caring to know what they might have looked like in their prime. If he had he might have noticed breaks in the foliage. Small holes against broken doors, faint footprints, marks etched on stone. Not on every building, there were far too many for that, but still on some.

Instead, Sonic sped to the more inhabited part of town. The place was off from the traditional downtown area, letting houses be more spread out to support an agricultural style of life. It was early morning, the sun just starting to peak around the horizon.

With few others around Sonic found it easier to concentrate. Not that he liked it. The hedgehog was extremely extroverted, and any attention was welcome attention. Without it though, he managed to go through several streets of the town in a matter of minutes, making sure to stop for sake of Nicole.

'Area Negative, no traces found'

Sonic sighed, ready to dash off again.

"Hey! Who are you!?" A voice called out to him. It was a teen, a deer mobian looking to be near his twenties. He was sitting on a low wall, enjoying the sunrise before the day's work.

Sonic slid to a halt letting a cloud of dusk whisk past his feet. "Name's Sonic, you know any Flynn guy? Moutian lion with a habit of kidnapping?" he said

"Kidnapping!?" the deer's eyes widened and he had to stop himself from falling. "Did someone get kidnapped?"

"Yeah, my little bro. The night before this. The coward waited till he was alone and darted him."

"Oh" the deer looked panicked "I'll be sure to tell everyone, you said he was a mountain lion?" Sonic nodded "There are a few living around here, but no one named Flynn. It might be different downtown; I don't go there much."

"Cool, thanks kid" Sonic said, and he rushed off.

There were more abandoned buildings downtown, though instead of being left to ruin these were used for storage or stables and had gardens hanging from the roofs. It created a green tint to the light, reflecting on each house.

Sonic let Nicole scan the street. 'Area Negative, no traces found'

_I hope that kid was right _he thought before heading further into town.

* * *

Sally and Bunnie found themselves in the ruins Sonic had initially passed. Being more detailed and unable to travel as quickly as the hedgehog, they began to notice the area's faint signs of life.

It started as a hunch, possibly there were just wild animals living in the houses. Wild mice ran through cracks in the walls and movement they initially thought to be from other mobians turned out to be from wild raccoons.

The hints were staking up though and they finally decided to enter a building which had a particularly obtrusive hole in its door.

In a different timeline, one without Robotnik, ruins like this this might have set them one edge. Not scared but at least somewhat cautious. As it was, any regular sense of self-preservation had been buried in the depths of Robotropolis. This place was paradise compared to that.

The house was mainly made of stone, remnants of wood having crumbled under the force of time, walls going down with them. What stood was a frame of a house, sunlight spilling in through the roof, various vines and weeds filling the room. They waded through them, following a well-trodden trail.

The architecture reminded Sally of her childhood. It was similar to the buildings throughout Mobotropolis. Heartache for her home welled inside her. It wasn't fair, what Robotnick did. She shook her head a little. Those thoughts could come later, now they needed to focus.

In addition to the various trails throughout the house, there were clear signs of mobian life. The first being a half-empty water bottle leaning against one of the walls. Sally picked it up, noting a faded name on its side but not really being able to make it out. After letting Bunnie try, they decided to put it back.

Further on, they found what looked like a makeshift bed. _Probably not the most comfortable but easy to pack._ There were much better places to live than this building, it would make sense that this would only serve as a hideout, or just a place to be alone for a couple hours. Though the latter could be solved with a walk in the woods, something most people from Knothole would do whenever they really needed time alone. They continued onward.

The final room was less full of recent changes and more of semi-antique furniture. It reminded Sally again more of home. She stepped around the space, wondering how big of a hurry someone must have been to leave if they kept all this stuff inside. Then again, the coup was a naturally hectic time.

From the side of that room a door led outside. She stepped through it and her heart froze. There, in a chair, staring directly back at her was a mobian mountain lion with a face that could kill.

* * *

Almost a half a day before that moment, Flynn had fumed out of Laura's temporary house. The cheap, half-witted otter had refused to pay him in full and he was furious.

Just because the target has some cuts on his torso from crashing through the tree. Yeah, she said unharmed, but those didn't count, half of them he gotten before the mountain lion had even done anything!

Wading in anger, he restrained the urge to kick a large rock.

The mountain lion looked over the sea. After a commission like this he would normally pack his things and go. Getting out before any sign of trouble. Leaving wasn't hard, even if this was home. He'd probably be able to come back soon enough anyway.

He had only been back in Watereef for a couple months before hearing about the gig and deciding to call quits on his previous plan. Twelve thousand dollars sounded real nice, _and twelve thousand dollars is what I'm going to get. _His eyes went into slits.

He was going to rat Laura out, the only problem being how. If he got her imprisoned, the mountain lion would probably get caught too, but he didn't want to hurt her himself. Flynn might have been mad, but he knew better than to attack someone who had contact with the underground market.

In that scenario the only way to avoid his own death would be to kill her, and while her crime was wretched, she didn't deserve that. Prison and defamation though, he could work with. He smiled. Revenge was a sweet wine.

Coming back to the abandoned building he had been calling home, Flynn slept off the rest of the day and part of the next night. It was dark out when he decided to get out of bed, but the morning sun had almost started its climb of the horizon. Flynn sighed, he still had no plan, Laura had probably been paid by now. She had messaged someone when he arrived the previous afternoon and before the mission had let some details slip about her own interests.

She was sloppy, letting confidential information out into the open like that. Flynn wouldn't have been surprised if this had been her first time working with anyone underground.

It would make his plan easier though. He knew she had cash, much more than he had gotten, and he knew part of her plan, evidence for the police. He also knew her computer password, not being polite enough to look away as she typed it.

Flynn glanced up at the sky. He had been sitting in the overgrown patio the entire morning, trying to figure out his revenge. He was so deep in his mind that he hadn't noticed the two people rummaging through his house, through the old kitchen, and outside.

He froze when he saw them, recognizing the squirrel and rabbit from his few days spying on Knothole, anger brimmed on their faces.

"Are you Flynn?" Sally asked the stranger. His cold eyes seemed to search for an answer before speaking.

"No, but I know him" the mountain lion said slowly

"We need to find him, where is he?" She asked unsuccessfully trying to hide the rage that flared through her. _Calm down, this could be our only lead._

"What do you need him for?"

"We think he kidnapped someone from our village."

"Oh" the mountain lion paused "that's not good, but I'm afraid he left yesterday afternoon, I don't know where to."

Thoughts flooded Sally's head. _Yesterday?_ He could be anywhere by now! What were they going to do? They didn't even know how to contact the neighboring cities and by the time they figured it out it would probably be too late. Tails could be hundreds of kilometers away by now and even further the longer they waited.

"But I may have an idea" Sally and Bunnie turned their attention back on him "Flynn said he was going to stop by a house out in the countryside before he left. You might find your friend there."

Joy sparked in both their gazes "Where?" Sally said, ready to sprint out the door.

A slight smile formed on the lion's face "To the south, about a half hour walk from the last house in Watereef, it's the only one around, you can't miss it."

"Thank you Thank you!" she said as herself and her friend quickly ran back to the road.

Flynn watched them go. Having someone else rat out Laura would give him time to escape something he decided to prioritize now that he knew he'd been followed. If they could track him here, then it would only be a matter of time till they discovered his lie. Jail wasn't worth the money.

The girls bolted down the street, heading to the south. Bunnie in the lead, being able to go slightly faster due to her mechanical legs. Sally pulled out a communicator from a pocket in her blue vest.

"Sonic, come in" she said holding down one of its side buttons.

The device buzzed

"Hey Sal, find anything?" the hedgehog spoke

"Yeah, we've got a lead, come over here."

* * *

With Sonic's help, they reached the house in minutes. It wasn't quite as run down as other places around, but wear on the frame was evident enough. They crept towards it carefully.

A vehicle was parked out front. Some sort of hoverbike, with space enough for only one passenger and a little storage. Its pristine metal edges stood as a stark contrast to the landscape. It looked like… they spotted movement.

Someone was packing it, fitting as much as possible in the small space under the seat. The mobian didn't notice them, intent as she was on her current task. Sonic prepared to move forward before Bunnie's voice pulled him back.

"Sugar-hog, hold up" She whispered "Ah think it would be better if we checked inside first. Whoever that is ain't gonna to be finished anytime soon anyway and who knows what could be hiding in that there mess." She gestured to the building

In spite of his dislike for stealth, Sonic agreed with the plan. He'd never admit it to anyone, but even he had limits. Especially if he couldn't use a power ring, the group only having one for the whole trip. It might need to be saved.

They snuck to the back door, panicking slightly as is gave a creak when opened.

There didn't seem to be anyone inside the house though, and dust covered almost every surface. There were footprints in the dust, leading from the back to one of the main rooms. _That makes it easy. _Sally thought. The trio followed them.

Entering the space, it was apparent someone had been here recently, and for more than a day too. Most of the area had been swept clean and the various pieces of furniture barely had any dust on them. Light flashed on a computer's monitor. They decided to check it out.

It was a sleek-looking machine. Newer than anything Knothole had, and far in design from the mechanics of Robotropolis. The layout took some getting used to, but they were able to figure it out, Sonic and Sally analyzing the contents of its screen whilst Bunnie stood by the door in case the mobian out front came back.

The computer had lit up due to a message: 'Yeah, that's good. Do you want me to meet you in Watereef or that village by the mountain pass?' They looked at it, clicking into the chat. The conversation spanned far above the initial comment, though it took Sally a minute to figure out that the scroll bar, which was usually to the right of any page, did not exist, and the arrow keys had to be used for that function.

As they went through the texts, vague pieces of information stuck out. There was quite a bit of talk about some task that the writer had to do. 'Laura' her username showed. Nothing was in specifics and it gave the two freedom fighters the sense that whatever she did, she didn't want the other mobian to know.

One separate discussion caught Sonic's eye.

"What's that" He pointed leaving a mark on the computer's screen. Looking past the slight blur, Sally saw something labeled 'Kitsune'. Not a word she recognized.

The lighter text under it must have been what caught Sonics attention. It only displayed a line of dialogue before fading into white. 'Good, I've sent a ship to your location, it should arrive for the fox in 6 hou…' A knot hit her chest. _Tails_. She pressed the header and was quickly sucked into the conversation.

\- May 15th -

'Greetings from Windburg, my name is Laura and I heard that you were looking for a kitsune? I might have found the location of one, but I wanted to check on your interest before pursuing. Thank you.'

'I have interest in that yes. How long do you think it will take you to get it?'

'At least a couple of weeks, my sources are not too clear at this point, there is a chance he might not even exist. I'll look more in depth on the matter and contact you again'

'Please do'

\- June 30th -

'Hello, I do not know if you remember our conversation above, but I managed to track down the kitsune. I can have him within a month of notice. Let's talk prices first though'

'That's fine. Can you give me a description of it? Age and such, also the creature should be able shapeshift and have some control of an element. I will need to be sure you have the right species before being able to pay you.'

'According to my sources he's still a child, maybe ten-ish. He can fly and has two tails. I haven't heard of any shapeshifting.'

'That's good enough. I can give you 2 million for that.'

'Okay, you want me to start now?'

'No, have it sometime late October, I'll be ready then.'

'Okay, when will I get paid?'

'When you bring the fox to me, that or I can send someone to pick it up. I need proof that it can fly before I can pay you though.'

'I'd prefer if you sent someone up here, and I'll work on the proof'

'Good, we'll talk more details as the date gets closer'

\- October 12 -

'I've sent someone out to get the fox, it will take him at least a week to find him, probably two. I'm in Watereef right now, I'll send you my location. No one should see your ship if you fly in from the south. I'm not too close to the village, I'll contact you later with more updates.'

\- October 20-

'My colleague has arrived at the village the kitsune lives in. He says it could be a few days before he gets a good opening though.'

'Okay, tell me when you have him'

'Thanks'

\- October 25 –

'I've got him'

'Good, I've sent a ship to your location, it should arrive for the fox in 6 hours. Be ready.'

The text finished.

Sally stared at the screen. Motionless save for a shaking hand covering her mouth. Horrified that anyone would, her mind paused, straining, would sell another mobian. _Tails… no… please, please let this be some kind of nightmare. _

She wanted to wake up in Knothole, all well in the world, see Tails out her window playing in the forest. She wanted to run out there, give him the biggest hug he'd ever received, and let the current events fade into oblivion.

This was reality, and every second reminded Sally of it.

"Sal" Sonic was beside her, leaning against the table for stability. He had fire in his eyes, a fierce determination. "We're going to get him back".

A crash split the silence. Bunnie, distracted by the conversation of her friends, had not seen the otter outside come back in until they were practically in arm's reach. This worked out well, as the other mobian, seeing her hideout breached, bolted from the scene. Bunnie hot on her heels. Using her robotic arm, she managed to get more reach, tripping the fleeing mobian.

The surprised otter had little time to react before she was surrounded. Sonic and Sally having ran out at the noise.

"So, Laura, where's Tails."


	4. Far South

Tails hadn't remembered falling asleep. In fact, he remembered telling himself not to, but he found himself waking up in the crate to the sound of a shift in the plane's engine and a slight bump shaking the floor.

The muzzle was off his head now and there was a glass of water by the entrance. _They must have opened it while I was sleeping. _He mentally kicked himself.

The aircraft was slowing down drastically, it was probably on the ground. Eventually it rolled to a halt and everything was silent for a few minutes. Tails tried messing with the area by the door again.

Muffled voices sounded outside. He stopped, getting ready for his cage to open. Instead he felt it get lifted off the shelf, creating a feeling of instability worse than being on a rotting branch. It was soon over, and he felt the jolt of it being moved on a cart.

He was wheeled for a while, going through twists and turns that he did his best to memorize. Sonic had told him that if was ever captured by Robotnik, to remember which way he was taken. That way, if he escaped before the freedom fighters rescued him, he would still know where to go.

It was hard, since he wasn't able to see anything outside, and Tails was sure that he had messed up on at least one part of the mental map. The movement stopped and he felt the crate getting lifted up again. A click filled the silence and he swung his head to see the door unlocked.

Tails had sprung for it before it had even started opening, all of his pent-up energy going full force for the exit. He made it halfway out before being slammed into a table below.

"Let go of me!" he struggled against the grip of his captors, trying to get away, but just like on the plane, the fox was overpowered both by size and numbers. A new voice came up.

"Give me his arm" Tails turned his head to look at the source. There was someone to the right of the table trying to get around one of the mobians holding Tails. A syringe at the ready in one hand.

At the sight of it Tails eyes widened. He pulled against his captors' hold, failing to get anywhere save for a couple of centimeters off the ground before being forced back down again. His arm was dragged away from the side of his torso and pinned so hard that he started to feel the tips of his fingers loose circulation.

He felt the needle prick it. The metal a sharp burning pain before being removed. His arm was freed, and he quickly pulled it back to his side, bruised from the experience.

A feeling of dizziness hit hardly thirty seconds after. The lights above him began to get blurry and his whole being feeling somewhat numb. To his surprise, Tails noticed that he wasn't being held down anymore.

Trying to move, he managed instead to swing his arm a couple dozen centimeters before realizing that he didn't even want it to go the way it went. His limbs felt like jelly. The fox tried again to get up, managing to at least lift his chest off the table before falling back down.

"That stuff worked fast" Someone spoke. Maybe he couldn't move, but at least Tails could hear.

"Yeah, I like it." The mobian who had been holding the syringe said. He was doing something else now. Tails couldn't quite tell what, everything looked off-focus. He tried squinting to make it better.

A couple minutes passed before a door opened and caught his attention, distracting his from his latest attempt to stand up. He tried to see who it was but was only able to turn his head a short distance in a semi-general direction. The mobian was out of sight before appearing at the side of the table. Tails stared at him, the drug inside making it hard to keep any concentration.

"Is this the kitsune." The mobian said, it was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes sir, he's been sedated"

"Good" There was brief silence.

"Well the yard it set up, I'll expect him in there by tomorrow."

"Yes sir"

The figure looked down at Tails before heading back out the door. The other mobians visibly less tense after his departure. They got back to their work.

He decided to try to get up again. His thoughts too fuzzy to realize that even if he did manage to get off the table, it would be near impossible to make it to the door.

Struggling, Tails swung his arms underneath his chest, pushing himself up. His mind whirled from the effort and the sound of a beating heart filled his ears. He was going to have to crawl, if this was sitting, standing was impossible. Grabbing the side of the table, the fox got ready to pull himself forwards.

"Hey there little guy, where do you think you're going?" A hand grabbed his shoulder, dragging him back down to where he had started. "you don't want to fall off the edge". Tails tried to tell the mobian to let go but instead the words got caught in his throat and came out as a mix of mumbled gibberish.

"Man, that stuff really messed you up didn't it?" He didn't wait for Tails to respond "Well don't worry, doc said you should be feeling like yourself again in a few hours. I'll just stay here in the meantime, they don't really want my help and you don't want to fall off the table" He said, noticing Tails trying to get up again "even if you think you do."

For the next two hours he continued rambling, Tails tuning out his voice. The others came over every so often giving the fox various shots or taking some blood. It would have been torture had the kit not been so out of it.

Eventually, they came back without any medical supplies, instead the doc was wearing what looked like a half mechanical glove. _Odd._

"Hey, seems like they're about done" the mobian who'd been standing next to him said.

Tails had hardly processed the words when he felt something grab the scruff of his neck. He started struggling before the whole room suddenly became a confusing mass of moving shapes and distorted sounds. They swirled around the fox's vison until slowly coming back to a blurry standstill.

Regaining his senses Tails tried squirming away from the hand. It tightened. A piece of leather, cold on one side, was wrapped around his neck. He tried to shove it off but found that his hand coordination was still poor. The collar was tightened, though not so much that he couldn't breathe, and he felt himself being laid back on the table.

For a second Tails tried to get up, but whatever they had done, it made his orientation worse. He fell, not noticing how his gloves and shoes had fallen off their respective limbs.

"That should be all we need. You mind putting the kit back before it hurts itself."

"Yeah no problem" Two hands reached underneath the fox and he felt the ground disappear. He tried to struggle but only managed a few poorly aimed swipes at the air. A familiar click was heard before he found himself on the carpeted floor of the crate.

Any attempt made for the exit only found him fallen, tripping over his own feet. The door was slid to a shut and the lock clicked again.

Tails stared at it. trying to move forward again and collapsing back on the ground. His spinning senses finally convincing him to lay down, not to sleep, but to give his brain a rest, so he would be more ready for whatever happened next.

* * *

It hadn't taken the freedom fighters long to get Laura to confess. As she told Tails a day prior, she hated fighting, and in the present, was very outnumbered.

"So? Where is he?" Sonic demanded. Anger brimming on his quills.

Laura paused before her response, she didn't know much about this kind of thing, but everyone she'd ever met told her not be a snitch. Looking at the three mobians in front of her though, the otter realized that if she took that advice, the next few minutes might not be incredibly survivable.

"Probably down in northern Soumerca." She flinched at the shock on their faces. "I have more information on the computer, that will have a mini map Vharst's location" she paused "That's the mobian I was working for."

"Okay, show us"

The otter led them back into the room, pulling up an address on the computer in the corner.

It looked to be a place in a very spread out neighborhood. There wasn't much in the way of landmarks but the road next to the place was labeled.

"Nicole download the map" she told the handheld device, making sure it was plugged into the computer.

'Yes Sally, download started, complete time 30 seconds'

"What in tarnation could someone from Soumerca want with Tails?" Bunnie asked the air. Realizing that there was someone in the room who might be able to provide an answer she redirected her question back to Laura.

"Well, uh" the otter froze. "I'm not sure, they never told me."

The statement was half true, maybe one quarter. Laura had some idea of what they wanted, but Vharst had never explicitly told her, she'd just kind of assumed.

She had stumbled across a conversation about kitsunes a while before. It was there she learnt they were a rare species of shapeshifters and highly sought after by a select few as exotic pets. An idea which sickened her a little still, and would only make the fox's friends angrier, something she had no desire to deal with. The otter wasn't sure what was going to happen as things stood now.

'Download complete' Nicole's voice tore her back to reality.

"Okay come on let's go" Sonic was tapping his foot against the floor.

"Yes, let's" Sally agreed "We're going to have to drop her off in Watereef on the way" she nodded her head towards Laura. The otter took a few steps back before feeling a hard metal hand grab her wrist. She wasn't getting out of this.

They quickly made their way back to the town. It was nearly mid-day now and there were many others awake. Asking for directions to the sheriff's place they went into the building and explained everything that had happened as quickly as possible.

The sheriff agreed to have Laura put in the town's jail and look at the evidence left at her makeshift house.

"In addition" he said "I am sorry that these criminals were able to use Watereef as their hideout, especially" he paused "for a crime like kidnapping. If you give me some time, I'll talk to one of the villagers here. She's a fast sailor and has been wanting to go south for quite a while. I'm sure she'd be willing to lend you a hand in getting down there."

"That's okay we've got…" Sally stopped, yes, they had a plane, but it wasn't strong enough to fly over the southern ocean. "Actually, that would be amazing."

Hours later the group was out at sea, pelting hundreds of kilometers an hour over the ocean.

* * *

The crate Tails was in started moving again.

It was at least an hour since he had been put inside and the drug was starting to wear off. _It must still be doing something _Tails thought. Whenever he tried to focus on anything too long his vision still came out slightly fuzzy.

He had been resting and felt considerably better than before. Still, that wasn't great. His cage moved, rolled on whatever cart had brought him to the room earlier in the day.

He was brought through more turns, trying desperately to remember where they were, despite the fog still in his mind. His memory started contradicting itself and a feeling of despair welled up in his chest. Eventually, everything was brought to a stop.

Preparing for any chance of escape, Tails found that he could half stand up, but still having to keep his hands on the ground. The crate was shuffled around, nearly throwing the fox off-balance. He countered the movement with his own, a little victory in not being fallen.

There was a period of silence. Then the door started to open. Like before, Tails dashed to the exit. Unlike it, he didn't feel anyone try to grab him as he escaped. He stumbled forward, surprised to find grass beneath his paws.

_I'm outside? _Tails looked around while running, there were a few scattered rocks, and trees lying against each other. It felt a little synthetic. Distracted by everything, he hardly noticed the change in floor before coming to a halt.

It had looked like dirt from afar, but up-close Tails could see enough detail to tell that it was wood. He didn't want to go back inside. The fox turned to face a different direction but noticed that the wood floor spanned across in an L-shape. He had to make a move fast, he glanced behind himself, checking to see how close his captors were. No one had followed him. _What? _Tails stared behind himself. There was no movement.

Still with distorted senses, he tried to figure out where to go. The wood led into a big room, one with many objects inside, though they were two blurry to tell what. Looking to his left, he saw a wall blocking any escape.

Not wanting to go backwards, he decided to take his chances in the strange room. '_Ouch!' _A yelp escaped his mouth as he collided with an invisible surface. _What was that?_

Tails moved around, trying to get a better view of the barrier. First looking at it closely, then taking a few steps back. He couldn't see anything. A translucent reflection faded through it. It was hard to see, but once he did, Tails recognized it as being a reflection on glass.

Panic started to well up in him again. Was the other side walled-off too? He looked and a faint shimmer gave the answer. Tails backed away, frantically scanning the area for another exit but finding none.

Stepping back up to the glass, Tails started testing it before noticing something strange. The fox in the reflection wasn't him. It was a wild fox. He titled his head a little. Moving closer he reached out his hand to touch the image. Maybe his vision was just blurry.

Instead, Tails' actual hand came into view and he jerked backwards in shock at the sight of a paw-shaped foot. He looked again. There it was, claws and all. The reflection caught his eye. That was him.

He stared for what could've been forever. Moving just to watch his reflection do the same. His ear twitched, so did the other; he walked to the left, the image did the same. He pushed against the glass, finding it unmovable.

Eventually, he tore himself away from the wall to look through the rest of the room. It was fairly open with some near-leafless trees and rocks around the grass. Tails walked around them, still a little too dizzy to want to try climbing anything.

The smell of food hit his nose as his stomach reminded him of hunger. He had a fairly decent sense of smell before, but it was almost nothing compared to this. This was overpowering.

Unable to stand around, the fox headed for the source and found two bowls, one with water and the other with something that looked like food. Opting for the second, he discovered that without utensils, or hands for that matter, that he was going to have to eat it straight from the bowl, like a wild animal. _Which I'm not. _But he didn't seem to have much choice, and his stomach was getting harder to ignore.

He stood there for a while, telling himself that he would leave but unable to. Eventually he gave in, starting with a small bite and escalating till the bowl was empty. After a little drink of water, he looked back around the room.

It seemed a little less blurry, the objects close by now having crisp lines to them. Starting to feel a tired, Tails pushed off the feeling and decided to make another round of the room.


	5. An Attempt to Travel

**Author's note: **It's been five chapters and I finally start explaining something.

Singerj199 Thanks! I really enjoyed writing Watereef (and Flynn), it was a fun place to flesh out. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!

Jay Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

Special Thanks to Leodragon678 for beta reading this chapter.

* * *

"How long till we get there?" Sonic had asked for what felt like, and possibly could have been, the fiftieth time.

"Awhile" Sally answered, not bothering to look at the ship's clock. "You should get some rest if you're not going to help with these plans." She pointed to the spread of maps in front of her. Preferring not to miss out on anything, the hedgehog quickly chose the latter option.

"So, what have you got so far."

"Not much. Nicole doesn't have anything on this guy, since he's not from our kingdom, and all of Watereef's maps are outdated" She sighed

"So, I'll just speed around, find the place and we bust Tails out a there, no prob'. That map on Nicole is pretty clear, we just have to find the general area" The hedgehog sounded confident in his plan. "I can be in and out faster than you could say Chili Dog."

"I'm not so sure… this is a big city and it seems like whoever this is lives far from the center"

"Well, I can search there first."

"If I may interrupt" The mobian piloting the ship said. "You might be able to buy a map once we get there. The sheriff gave us some cash for food and such, but we have more than enough."

"That could work" Sally said "So we'll find out where he lives and head there. Then we can break in and get Tails" Still not the best plan, but more promising than nothing. Sonic gave her a thumbs up. She yearned for the confidence he had. Instead, a sense of anxiety plagued her mind.

Again, Sally wished this were all over, not wanting to imagine what Tails was going through. He was all alone, captured and taken to a different continent. Who knows what they had done to him? _If_ _he was hurt…_

Sally cast that train of thought aside, preferring not to sit in that anger. It would do no good for either of their situations. Rather, she decided to strike up conversation with Sonic. Hopefully that would help both of them pass the time.

* * *

"There it is, by that stone" A voice jostled Tails out of his concentration. He had been looking at one of the rocks, there seemed to be something under it. Turning his head, he saw three mobians outside the glass.

They were watching him, one of them looking vaguely familiar. He thought for a second, it was the guy who had come into to the room after he'd been sedated. The one his captors seemed to take orders from.

"So Vharst, you actually managed to get a kitsune. Fancy that." A different mobian spoke. He got down to Tails' eye level and gestured him to come forward. Instead, the fox growled softly and tried to hide better behind the rock.

"Oh well" the mobian said, getting back up "Another time perhaps. How'd you get one anyways, and a kit too, I've known others who've tried for much longer without luck."

Tails wondered about that sentence. What was that word the mobian had called him before? Poking his head around the stone, he caught their glance and shuffled back.

"Someone contacted me up in Northamaer a couple months after I had started searching. Don't know how they got my information but I'm not complaining." The smugness in his voice was evident. Tails hated it.

"You would be a fool to" the other chuckled "anyways, thanks for the invite. I've been wanting to see one of these for a long time. You two want to sit down though? My leg is killing me."

Tails heard footsteps as the mobians headed further in the room, each choosing a chair before sitting down.

Earlier, once he had been able to see clearly again, the fox had tried to look around the area outside his enclosure. He seemed to be on the side of a larger room, though he wasn't sure why the other room was so big.

It half-felt like some sort of lookout area, with windows pointing above the forest to the darkening sky outside, but the inside didn't have any normal things for a lookout. No maps, binoculars, flags or communicators. Instead, it was decorated to be some sort of fancy lounge area, big enough that it needed pillars halfway through to keep the roof from caving in.

Presently, Tails turned his head in the direction the three mobians. They were pulling out a deck of cards, not looking his way. He debated going back to work on the rock. The faint scent of a breeze rested on the top of the dirt. That needed to be checked out. However, if someone noticed it wouldn't go well for the fox.

Choosing to be safe rather than sorry, Tails snuck away and headed up one of the trees to get a better look at everything, and possibly, a better hiding spot.

He began to notice the collar on his neck more. Up until now, he had been either too busy or too out of it to care, but now, waiting in a tree, the object became increasingly uncomfortable.

Trying to not catch back any attention, he began attempting to get it off. The leather was tight on him and stuck on the start of his head whenever he managed to get it up that far. He tried pushing it with his paws. With little grip, that plan soon fell apart.

Leaning forward, he rubbed his neck against the wood, hoping something would catch. The collar snagged a bit but never strong enough to pull off. He kept trying, getting similar results. This wasn't working. Distracted by the sound of voices, he decided to fiddle with the object and listen to whatever the other mobians were talking about.

They talked for hours. Not about anything interesting. Some mention of names Tails didn't recognize, a joke he didn't get, and just general banter. Eventually, they got into an intense round of cards and the noise stopped for a few minutes.

Shouting started out of nowhere. It took the fox a moment to realize that it wasn't angry, just loud. _They're never going to leave. _He got up from his perch, still itching to look at the rock. Instead, he decided to grab a bite to eat, his bowl somehow having refilled itself without him noticing and rounded his cage again to see if there were any other ways out.

* * *

Hours later saw Tails was digging at the floor. He had headed down immediately upon their departure, not saving time to make sure that they wouldn't come back. Thankfully, he didn't need it.

Checking his rock again, he found the twinge of a breeze still hiding under and decided to try to dig it out. He had been going at the dirt for a while, but it was riddled with rocks, making progress excruciatingly slow. There was a pile of earth behind him, something he needed to hide. Tails' best idea was to spread it around the area. Hopefully no one looked too close at the dusted grass.

He continued to dig.

Time seemed like a blur, but he was hardly deep enough to fit in the hole when sunlight started to turn the horizon a pink-ish color.

Noticing this, the fox panicked a little and quickly went for his pile of dirt. He threw the bigger rocks back into the hole, rationalizing tha,t besides the problem of weight, they would be easy to take out. Then, he batted the mound with his paws until it had been thoroughly spread. The hole itself was dug on a side of the rock facing away from any glass. Tails just hoped no one would find it.

Sun rays could be seen hitting trees outside by the time he was finished. Instead of the energy the fox usually had in the morning, he began to feel tired. _Probably because I didn't sleep. _Not really wanting to see any other mobians he turned in for the day, choosing, as uncomfortable as he was with it, a place that could be easily spotted from outside. If someone tried to look for him, they could find the hole, and that was not an option.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning when the Freedom Fighters reached Soumerca and a long while later till they were on a river leading inland. The city they were heading to was cut in half by the water, making this a direct route. Unfortunately, they found the path to be covered with sharp turns and low bays, it would be impossible to maintain their ocean speed.

Sonic paced around the boat, a blur running in circles, annoyed at the change of pace. As soon as they found out about the delay he had suggested running through the rainforest, a quick trip into the area however, proved that to be even slower than the boat. The jungle's tangle not something any of them were used to.

"Can we cut through this river?" He heard Sally talking to the ship's captain, they were both looking over one of the maps, the latter mobian only able to take brief glances before focusing back on piloting.

"Let me see… no, there, above that bend" she pointed "There's a waterfall"

Sally clenched her jaw a little. That route could have saved them a day's travel, as is was it would be another two before they reached their destination. She looked at that waterfall, small text next to it saying 15 meters, how had she missed it?

The boat swerved suddenly, throwing her off balance.

"Sorry about that" their pilot said, "There was a sandbar, I didn't see it till late"

She took a moment before speaking again. "I'm getting really tired, would you mind driving for a couple hours? You remember how everything works right?"

The day prior, she had showed the Freedom Fighters how to steer the boat, mostly just for something to do on their journey, not expecting this delay. The group had all done decently at recalling all the controls, when it came to piloting though, Sonic was never driving again.

"Yes, I do. If you need to sleep, you can." Sally replied

"Good. Don't be afraid to wake me if anything goes wrong."

"I will"

She let Sally have the wheel, waiting a few minutes before going to bed in case the ground squirrel needed help.

Four hours later, when the she had awoken, still dead tired, they made a sleep schedule. While the Freedom Fighters could sail, they were much slower, so it was decided that she would only take small breaks on the river and rest while they were at the city, letting them get a quick escape if needed.

It took them two days, but finally they made it to the city.

* * *

Tails thought he had only been asleep for a minute when the noise outside rang him into reality. It started as a vague mess of voices, becoming clearer as he awoke. The fox curled deeper into his namesakes, trying to block out the sound. That hardly worked. Even after days of capture, he still had trouble resting in this miserable pen.

The morning light hit his eyes, coming from one of the side windows in the other room. He opened them slightly, wondering how late in the day it actually was, red trails dotted the horizon in a beautiful display. sunrise. _Really?_ Tails glanced tiredly at the other room.

Across the wood there was a group of couches, mostly facing away from the fox. Some mobians were over there, talking with energy, despite the earliness of the day. Their voices sounded through the area, not as loud as the mobians Vharst had over a couple nights ago but still… Tails wasn't getting any sleep.

He stood up, taking a quick glance at his tunnel before getting something to eat.

Halfway through this past night's work the fox had been able to hear something on the other side of the dirt. He was getting close! The following hours had passed as a minute, Tails digging faster than before. He had been distracted though, coming up only when a loud knock resounded on the glass above. The fox had scrambled around, peeking out of the hole to see if anyone had noticed his absence.

There was someone cleaning the hallway, their broom must have hit the wall. He sat tense, knowing they would see movement, waiting before hiding signs of his potential escape.

That was too close.

Now his limbs ached and all he wanted to do was sleep. Between bites of his meal he glared at the couches, who had guests over this early anyway!? and why couldn't they go somewhere else? As much as he willed them to, they didn't move. He finished eating, pacing around the area, staying clear of his hole.

The last few days had passed like this. Once Tails had gotten over the fear aspect of being in a cage, it had somehow gotten boring. He had tried to listen in on the conversations of the room next to him, but they were hardly ever about anything he understood, and even so, most of the time the area was empty.

Whenever there were new guests though, Vharst seemed to show off the captive fox to them, calling him a kitsune. At first, Tails had no idea what that meant, but neither did some of the mobians, so he got a pretty decent explanation.

Vharst's family was from a culture up northwest of here and after a time studying, the mobian had found himself fascinated by the region's history collecting items from all across the area. He had pointed out a few objects around the room when saying this, pausing a bit longer for a large tapestry hanging on the far wall, a sewn picture of mountains. It was really beautiful, Tails had to admit.

Looking back at the fox, he turned his explanation to its origin. Most areas around mobius had stories of mythical creatures, mobians or wild, who seemingly had abilities unique to their kind, far more powerful than regular creatures. In the past, they had been divided from regular society, their nature causing more harm than good.

However eventually, the more rational speices integrated into regular life, calming their erratic nature. One such were the dragons of Northamear, others, like kitsunes, were more like wild animals and kept far from most mobians. It was rare to ever see one.

Tails felt his fur rise as he listened to this explanation, whether it be from fear or anger. Vharst knew the fox wasn't wild, but as the mobian looked at him now Tails could tell that he saw nothing different from the tapestry across the hall: some relic or prize from a distant culture. He shrunk down at the thought.

"Kind of looks like the thing can understand you." one of the guests noted.

Vharst narrowed his eyes, briefly, but enough for Tails to notice. "Yeah, they're pretty smart animals, but it's just probably just reacting to vocal tones"

"Ah, right"

The fox glared at him, not really knowing how to prove to the others that he wasn't wild. They continued talking for a while before leaving Tails to himself.

He thought about that conversation a lot. The best solution he had was writing something in the dirt, but the first time he tried that it didn't work. Later, when the room was empty, Vharst told him that if he ever tried anything like that again the grass would be replaced with concrete. It was the only time the mobian had ever talked directly to him.

Tails glared back to the couches, momentarily catching Vharst's eye before the mobian turned back to his conversation. He continued pacing, a dirt trail already becoming bare from his walks.


	6. Through the Trees

**Author's note: **Hey everyone thanks for reading so far. Its been a couple of weeks. So those who've been following the story from the beginning might have guessed that I had the whole thing written before uploading, based on me uploading four chapters in a single week. That would be true, up until now I've just been revising things and uploading. However, I really didn't like the way it ended and I have finally come up with a better way to do it so the plan is that I'll rewrite all of that and then upload the chapters once the whole thing is done. Having time to edit the chapters has really helped my writing so far, which is why I'm choosing to do it this way instead of uploading as I go. So see you guys in a few weeks to a couple months.

Singerj199: Thank you so much. I'm really glad the writing is adding to this story instead of taking away from it.

* * *

The Freedom Fighters found themselves in a city almost as big as the former Mobotropolis. From where they had docked downtown, the rows of buildings looked endless, spaced out by trees, every direction looking similar to the last.

"Alright, map" Sonic sped off, bothering the first mobian he ran into with the question of where they could get one, before leaving them dazed in a cloud of dust.

Secondhand embarrassment aside, Sally had to admit that his approach worked well, as he bolted back with a large folded piece of paper.

"Thanks Sonic" She said, laying it on the ship's floor "Nicole, show the area where the house is."

'Displaying' Her screen lit up with the mini map that had been on Laura's computer.

"We're looking for that pattern of streets, it'll probably be on the edges so pick one and start there." The ground squirrel instructed.

Even with all of the Freedom Fighters working, it took hours before the location was found. The objects on Nicole's screen had only covered a section large enough to swipe off with one stroke of a pencil on the meter-long paper, initially missed by the group. The sky was well past dark when they had drawn the route from their location to the destination.

After folding the paper into a more manageable size, they ran through the streets, stopping every so often to check that they were going the right way.

Sally was right in guessing that the house not being in the main area of the city. It was however, much further out than she had anticipated. They were lucky that the place was on the map at all.

As they sped closer, the landscape around them began to change, buildings got smaller, plants spread across more land. Eventually, the city became suburbs and the suburbs a brimming rainforest.

The road continued through the woods. Had it stopped, their journey would have been much slower, navigating through the rainforest was hard enough, much less at night. Something snagged on Sally's leg nearly tripping her. Even on the road there were still obstacles. She continued forward, feeling lighter.

With Sonic's help, they quickly made it to the house, halting at the forest's edge. Looking around, the Freedom Fighters saw a few mobians guarding the outside and a fence around the perimeter. It would be pretty easy to get in.

Tails was there, somewhere.

There were lights lining the outdoor fence and Bunnie threw a medium sized rock across the lawn, nailing one on the far end. The guards, having heard something in that direction earlier, left to check out the noise, leaving a clear path to get in.

"This sure is a fancy place" the rabbit noted aloud. The front hallway was adorned with decorations, their artistic merit even visible in the pitch night. It was spacious but brimmed with an eerie silence. At least there were no guards.

They decided to split up, each with a communicator. Sally choosing to go to the right. She snuck into multiple rooms, looking for signs of Tails. There didn't seem to be any. She continued searching, but could find nothing out of the ordinary, well, ordinary for a place like this.

_Were we given the wrong address?_ Panic swelled at the thought. If it was a distraction, the delay in this trip slimmed their chances of seeing Tails even further, probably even making it impossible. She struggled to push that thought aside.

_Focus_, they were going to find him, they were going to bring him home, and this was never going to happen again. She headed onward.

Finally Sally found one that was off to the side, almost hidden from the rest, a soft light coming from the door. The ground squirrel snuck inside, it had a desk with some computer monitors on it but was empty, a half-eaten snack showing her that this was a recent change. She needed to be quick. She looked at the screens, each displaying a camera view of the house.

One of them focused on some sort of indoor garden, the other to the lawn outside. Sally peered at the live videos, looking for any hints of Tails' location. There was nothing. Ready to use the device to shuffle through the system, she reached down for Nicole.

Her hand hit nothing.

A wave of panic running through her, Sally looked into her pocket, hard to see in room's darkness but clearly empty. _Where's Nicole!? _She briefly searched the floor, hoping that the machine had been lost recently, Sally hadn't used her since being on the boat.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S ESCAPED!?" a voice thundered from the hall, ripping the thoughts away. Hard footsteps were coming towards the room. Fast. Sally looked around, dashing behind a stack of boxes in the back.

A mobain stormed into the room, another following behind seemingly more afraid than angry. The lights were switched on, half-blinding compared to the darkness before. Sally winced, her eyes slowly adjusting. Hidden, she watched the mobians' as they flipped through the computer's surveillance. They both looked tired, the angrier one like he had just gotten out of bed.

"You had one job!" He barked "One!" More footage played, Sally tried her best to make out the images, some of the boxes blocking her view. Silence reigned for a time as the mobian shuffled through the clips, his tail lashing in increased anger.

"Find it, take someone with you, use the wild dogs if you have to, but muzzle them" He glared at the other mobian "I don't want to see your face until you have that fox in hand"

"y.. yes sir" He grabbed a device from the table and bolted out the door. Another minute of silence passing before the other followed.

Sally sat frozen behind the cardboard, listening to the sound of footsteps fade away before stepping out. Her breath still caught from their mention of Tails. They had him, or, at least they used to. Somehow, he had gotten out. The ground squirrel was relieved to know that he was safe from these mobians, but where was he now?

She thought for a minute, Tails had probably gone into the jungle. Trees nearly surrounded the whole house, aside from the road they had come in on, and possibly a few others, there was nowhere else to go.

If that was so, then they needed to find him fast. The night was dark in the rainforest, an unfamiliar area with creatures large enough to kill someone, not to mention the mobians now trying to capture him.

Light on the screens caught her eye. She needed to figure out which way out he had gone. Two of the monitors were still pointed towards the same areas as when she walked in, albeit showing a slightly different picture now.

Guessing that they were surveillance videos, Sally tried to scroll through the footage. She went back a couple of seconds on the outdoor one before seeing the blurry movement of something in the trees. As time rewound, it got closer, revealing in the sharp moonlight the form of a two-tailed fox. A wild two-tailed fox.

_What had they done to him?_

Sally barely processed the rest of the video, not even able to understand how something like this had happened, much less why. She played it forward once more, watching Tails' path from the house to the forest. Whatever had happened they needed to go that way.

* * *

Hours before found the fox digging frantically under his enclosure. He was close, the air tasted of freedom. Below his paws he could hear the slight movement of whatever was down there. _I'm almost out! _Tails reached a piece a wood, noting its give. It could have been strong before, but a present dampness had made it rot.

He scratched at it, tearing the bigger chunks off and setting them in the pile outside the hole. Eventually, he reached the end, opening a fresh breeze below. Tails dug more fervently, squeezing through the hole as soon as it was big enough. His paws landing couple dozen centimeters below.

The fox was underneath the house now, pipes ran around him obscuring his view of some areas. Wild mice occasionally scurried around the area, fleeing from the predator in their midst. Not actually a hunter, he looked past their small forms. Seeing light, he weaved around the pipes in that direction, his heart in a frantic beat.

As he walked around, Tails noticed that some of the pipes were metal, and, as one touch told him, extremely hot. He did his best to avoid these, pressing himself against the house's support beams as he moved.

Finally, there was open space again, though more than the fox bargained for. Tails felt his front paws start to slip and scrambled backwards.

It was a hole, about half a meter wide, leading into darkness. He shivered, panting from fear. Who knows how deep that could have been? The risk of being caught however urged him onward, staying far from the gap's edge.

The rest of his trip wasn't hard, and he made it to the crack of light without incident. The ground rose up along touching the building's side to make it appear like the house above wasn't raised. He would have to dig past that.

With a glance through the gap that had initially caught his attention, Tails could see that the light was coming from the place's main entrance. His breath stopped short, trees loomed above a gate in the distance, if he could get to those…

Sudden darkness covered his view, disappearing as quickly as it had come. Filching back on instinct, he tried to see what the culprit was. Movement caught his attention, someone had walked past his lookout, this place was guarded. _I should try the back. _He weaved his way to the opposite side of the gigantic house and looked out that way.

It was far less lighted, and an absence of guards on the grass, a welcome change. The only problem was that the house seemed to be near a steep hill, almost like a cliff. The other ways leading back to light. He would have to climb down.

For as long as he could remember, Tails had been able to fly. That power had been stripped away when he had been transformed. The fox had tried while in his cage, but his namesakes would hardly spin past a fast wag, and never too far in one direction. Looking at the hill, Tails winced a little, his falling skills were terrible, and with his flight gone, there might be a lot of that.

Still, in the fox's mind, a bad landing was better than getting captured again. He shook the pervious worry out of his mind and widened the dirt's gap, squirming out from under the house.

A warm breeze hit his fur, simultaneously lifting his spirits and reminding him of how easy to spot he now was. The fox ran towards the cliff as fast as possible, stopping in time to peer down its edge. Cautiously, he tried to slide his way down the slope, zigazing to various spots before picking the next safe area to target.

He stopped on a flat rock, trying to path the best route. There. Tails stepped forward. The rock, shifted under the weight and flew down the slope. Unable to initially escape its pull, Tails found himself going down with it.

A tree spawned up ahead, he crouched down and made a leap for it, landing in the tangle of its branches. The rock tumbled down the rest of the hill with a mini avalanche trailing behind.

"Hello!? Is someone out there? This is private property!" One of the guards called out across the lawn. Hearing the voice, Tails immediately bolted from his tree, finding the rest of the hill almost cleared. He dashed into the tangle of the jungle, avoiding roots, vines, and bushes. Finally free from his prison.

The area was hard to navigate, not that he was focused on going in any specific direction. The fox just needed to put as much distance between himself and the house as possible.

Figuring he had until morning before anyone noticed Tails tried to hurry. After that… he wasn't sure what would happen.

Eventually, time left his adrenaline lulled, and a tiredness inhabited his legs. The fox slowed to a jog, weaving around the underbrush, noticing that he could fit through areas of bramble normally too small for himself.

As he walked, the noises of the forest seemed to fill up the darkness around him. Occasional squeaks sailed in the treetops, frogs croaked, and the trees around him were never still. Even if it was night, the jungle seemed more alive than the great forest ever had during the day.

Whenever something was too loud, the fox looked over his shoulder, expecting to see one of his mobian captors. The thought kept his fur on end. _At least with all this noise maybe they won't be able to hear me? _It was a comforting idea, in case anyone ever did come after him.

Morning had peered around the horizon when Tails stopped, he had made it to a river. Not really thinking about the chance of food poisoning the fox headed down for a drink. His mouth parched from the half day of travel.

An eerie sense waved over the fox as the went to the riverbank, slowly getting heavier the closer he moved to it. His fur automatically raised up even though he didn't know why, _a quick drink and that's it_. Tails tried to tell himself, but his pace kept slowing.

Something was wrong. His sight traveled slowly across the water and froze. Emerald slits of eyes stared at him as a snake big enough to wrap around ten trees sat motionless in the water.

They stared for a while. Tails not really knowing what to do, the snake waiting for a better time to strike. The air was still around them and he realized it was the silence that had started his caution, and most likely, saved his life.

Overwhelming anxiety made the passing of time feel both endless and nothing. A hot sun beat upon the figures. The serpent had not moved. Patience was its strength, but not the only. Tails took a step back, alerting it. If he took another…

The snake lunged, its fangs blared in more than display, some inner reflect sent his prey a meter in the air before the fox landed and bolted away. The snake followed for a few meters before returning, land was not meant for it.

Tails continued to run, forgetting all forms of weariness. The size of the snake still terrifying him. There were snakes around Knothole, but they were small garden snakes. Even those were fast, he wondered what speed something as big as the one in the river could travel.

Minutes passed and nothing caught up. Tails eventually allowed himself to slow, taking deep breaths and feeling a headache starting to form.

He couldn't stay in the jungle for long, _but where else is there to go? _The house had seemed to be in the center of this forest. Surely there had to be other places around, no one could live this far from anyone. _Especially_, he thought, _not with such dangerous creatures nearby_.

He decided to get to higher ground. So far, it was something Tails had been avoiding so to save energy, this was going to be a long climb.

Heading in the nearest upwards direction, he began his ascent. The area started off as a normal hill but slowly morphed into a slopped cliff, similar to the one he slid down at the house. Going up, he found, was much more difficult. His paws slid against the steep dirt, only making progress due to the large rocks that littered the area. Tails missed being able to fly.

Eventually, he reached a decent vantage point. It was above the trees but barely, some branches daring to come up past, but the fox wasn't going to go higher if he didn't have to.

Tails looked around, something in the near distance catching his eye. A city lay there, surrounded by hills and cliffs, seemingly a bowl in the landscape. It was his destination.

An odd sound caught his ear. The forest moved below him, but not like it had for the various wildlife. This was louder, somewhat haphazard. Probably sort of what he sounded like in this foreign tangle.

Peering over the side showed its source. There were two mobians down there, a wild dog on a leash, sniffing the ground below.

Panic rushed in Tails' eyes. Were they looking for him already? How had they found him so fast? Had he spent that long by the river? He snuck away from the edge, scrambling around the mini plateau for some route of escape. The other sides were far too steep to climb, one even curving inwards. Fear blocked his senses. He looked to the upper rocks for a second but knew better than to climb higher. That would be a dead end.

"Looks like it went up here." A voice stopped his thoughts as he heard someone begin to climb. How long would it take them to get here? Tails chanced another look over the edge, they were going slow, one of them tying the wild dog up to stop it from following.

The other was struggling with the path. He was heavier than the fox and unable to use some of the weaker steppingstones. This would buy some time. The mobian looked up. Tails ran.

Before he knew what he was doing, the fox was in the treetops, going from branch to branch, ever decreasing in height. He had jumped from the cliff to the outreached arms of the nearest tree, somehow landing in its grasp.

In a normal scenario, this action would have heeded more caution, but now, success came from panic as he continued to flee. He needed to get out of here and he needed to find a way to get rid of his pursuers for good.

Tails was nearing the ground now and risked a jump. His paws tangled in a plant, throwing him slightly off balance. He rolled to the floor in a mess of leaves and bruises. There was no time to notice them, Tails got up, wincing from the pain, and ran.

* * *

Power move, change the genre to Mystery/Suspense and never upload again.

jk, check the author's note about the upload schedule. Also feel free to leave a review!


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